My workplace is within Christchurch Community House Te Whakaruruhau ki Otautahi. Both the House and my own organisation are committed to working in a way that is based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) which is the legal basis on which Pakeha (non-Maori) have the right to live in this country. As part of our commitment people within the House have decided that we will take turns at our weekly morning teas to introduce ourselves with a Mihi.
A Mihi is a Maori greeting. It is customary to introduce yourself by saying where you come from, and who your family are. This enables your listeners to ‘place’ you, and to work out what their relationship is to you. Maori, together with English and Sign, is one of the three official languages of Aotearoa New Zealand, and it’s useful to understand at least some words, and to have some idea of how to pronounce it. The vowels a,e,i,o,u are pronounced as in the following short words: “are there three or two”.
This is the Mihi I have prepared for when it’s my turn. It follows a customary formula, and I have given an English translation as well:
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa
Greetings to you all
Ko Maungakiekie te maunga, Ko Manukau te moana, Ko Gardner toku hapu
One Tree Hill is my mountain, Manukau is my harbour, Gardner is my clan
He Pakeha ahau, I wehe oko tupuna I waihongia England
I am Pakeha, my ancestors come from England
Ko Ethel raua ko Frank oku tupuna ki te taha o toku whaea
Ethel and Frank are my grandparents on the side of my mother.
Ko Mabel raua Ko Frederick oku tupuna ki te taha o toku matua
Mabel and Frederick are my grandparents on the side of my father.
Ko Phyllis toku whaea, Ko George toku matua
Phyllis is my mother, George is my father.
Ko Bruce toku tungane
Bruce is my brother.
Ko Stephen toku tane
Stephen is my husband
Ko Cathryn raua, Ko Louise aku Tamahine
Cathryn and Louise are my daughters.
Ko Ruth ahau
My name is Ruth
Tamaki makaurau toku turangawaewae
Auckland is my place of origin.
Kei Otautahi toku kainga inaianei
Otautahi (Christchurch) is my home now.
No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.
Therefore, greetings
Ruth's Reflections 
[…] Mihimihi June 2006 3 […]
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Hey thanks for the mihimihi! Can you tell me why you used “i waihongia”?
I am just learning and I found that confusing.
Thanks
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This was a mihi I used six years ago, and I’ve changed it since. All my Te Reo notes were lost in the earthquake, so I’m sorry I can’t explain the reason for ‘i waihongia’. These days i would say ‘I wehe oku tupuna i Ingarangi’ – My ancestors came from England. Good luck with your study.
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Ruth is there a reason you don’t say your surname after you give your first in the mihi.I suppose you have already mentioned it when you said your clan was Gardner.But you won’t be a Gardner now.
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Heni, My name is still Gardner. Although I am married I use my own family name. In a later version of this mihi I say “Ko Gardner ratou ko Rout, ko Leslie, ko Nicholls nga whanau” which gives the family names of both my parents and grandparents. I could say at the end “Ko Ruth Gardner ahau”, but prefer to give just my first name here. There’s choice available, and we each do what feels right.
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Tena tatou te whanau Greetings and salutations to us all
kua piri tata nei who gather here
ki raro i te korowai aroha under the cloak of love
o to matou Matua nui i te rangi of our most Heavenly Father
Kei te mihi Compliments to you
No tawahi oku tupuna My ancestors come from distant shores
No Engarangi From England
Otira However
I whanau mai au i raro I was born under
i te maru o Maungakiekie the sheltering influence of Maungakiekie
e riporipo ana te wai thus ripples the waters
o Manukau of Manukau
No te whanau…………. ahau Tis the family…………….from whence I come
ko Ruth toku ingoa For Ruth is my name
Tena koe whaea Ruth this is another format you could use.
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Kia ora Tahi, and thank you for this alternative version.
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